Diaphragm-face-plate buffer mechanism



Dec. 20, 1927. 1,653,068 A. E. SMALL DIAPHRAGM FACE PLATE BUFFER MECHANISM Filed June 22. 1926 Patented Dec. 20, 1927.

UNITED STATES .PA

T QF ICE;-*

ARTHUR n. SMALL, or C CAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR'TO NIoivMn'rAL rnonuo'rs COMPANY, OFCHICAGOjILLINOIS, A CORPORATION or DELAWARE.

nIArHRAeM-rAoE-r ATE Barren. .MEoHAnIsiii.

I Application filed June 22, 1926. Serial I To. 117,847.

Upper buffer mechanisms are used to keep the'diaphragm face plates of ad acent passenger train cars in contact, under all service conditions. The faceplate must'be i permitted to move longitudinally, laterally and/or obliquelyre'lative to its normal posiltionvonv the car. .It must be permittedto move laterally of itself (1. e., longitudinally of the car) to accommodate the draft gear movements and must move longitudinally of itself so that when one car swings more than.

its adjacent car the friction betweenthe face plates will not tear either of them from their attachments. Furthermore, the face plate must move obliquely when the cars aremov- .go yieldingly permit the face plate 1 ak .5 s ws-t e a ing ona curved track.,. The face plate may,

of course, inakeall of these movements consecutively or simultaneously. a My invention relates to such movements and which have a tendency to return'the face plate to its normal posi- .tion and which do return it to such norme position when permitted to do so.

An object of the invention is toprovide such a device which is simple and economical to manufacturefand apply and which can be installed, inspected, repaired or replaced without entering the car or removing any partthereof, not 'even the diaphragm. or its face plate. 7 V

. less because all the parts are under pressure.

Furthermore, the device is fnoisei contact. 7 V

Inthe drawings: I v p Fig.1 shows atypical application of my device to a railway car.

v Figs. 2, 3, 4: and 5 are diagrams showing .the device in various servicexconditions;

Fig. 7 is a ment. I A Fig. 8 is a detail of the face plate attachin'ent.

detail of the car 'end' attachface plate attachment. a Figs. 10, 11,12 and Bare modified forms of springs.

I The usual parts of a railway passenger train car are shown, such as the end wall 1,

diaphragm 2 and diaphragm face plate? My device comprises two resilient mem-- tioned equidist-ant from the'centerof the elusive, are diagrams showing its action undevices which .of the, v nearer to the :end wall than the pivoted connections of the outer. ends,(or.beyo nd dead ;The device Fig.6 is a detail of the resilient member.

Fig. 9 is a detail of the modified form of v 1 bar sl ghtly bowed, wh le Figs. 1 0 and 12 are also rectangular bars bent-to form. an ogee flectiona p I The resilient. members :are'l 1 bowedor givenan initial deflection toas Ysure that'underfurther'stress they will decar. The opposite endof each spring is pivmay; be, securedto the end wall if desired, but the drawings, illustrate the preferred form. 1 w

Fig.1 shows a typical application of my device to a railway oar, while Figs. 2-5, in'

der;v service conditions. Fig. 2 showsftheassociated parts in normal position, while Fig. 3 shows them under maximumcompression forcing, the opposite ends of the spring toward each other or foreshortening it. Fig.

moved longitudinally (or sidewise of the of the other spring 8 are pulledfapa'r't'. yFig.

wherein the springs have'bee'n lfoi'eshortened,

malposition, as shown. in Fig. 2. j A stop 60' prevents thepivoted connections inner-ends of. the springs from going center). Ifsuch a relation ofparts should existthe device would not return'tofnormal position. f 1' may be applied 'to'a car havng an' apexed diaphragm face plate'dwiigh its middle portion higher than the placeof attachment of the springs 1 0' the'end wall. V The resilient member 4 must be capable of l yieldingly 'foreshortenin'g its length and also be ca able of yieldingly increasii its length and t en. returning to ,itsgnormal length under either condition by its own inherentpow-er. Figs i, 10,- 11, 12and 13show,various types of resilient members which: have A shows the device whenthe face. plate has J car) wherein the opposite ends ofone. spring i are forced toward eachother and. the ends i 7n plate moved. obliquely, 1 I

this capacity. Fig. 4,sh'ows a rectangular} preferably (or coils) to resist 'further dev flect'in the desired direction. This is desirable, no matter What kind of spring is used.

Furthermore, the bow makes an easier act- 7 ing spring bygiving it an initial eccentricity.

The spring mustnot be restricted in its action' by contact with any part of the car,

such as the face plate at lr-or' 16 (or the car 7 spring to deflect under the maximum service oted connection for the respective ends.

' proper conditions without interference with the face plate. The two bowed springs are interposed between the car end wall element 1' and the diaphragm face plate element 3 and, broadly expressed, the effective end of the spring adjacent the element toward which thespring 'isbowed, mustgbes'paced apart from that element to assure clearance for the necessarily its extremity.

' The thrust longitudinally of the spring member, due to itsresistance' to'buckling,is

transmitted to the car wall and face plate, respectively, bythe attachments'b and 6, which attachments must also provide a piv the springs so that the spring is free to fleet independently of its attachments. It is desirable to transmit these longitudlnal thruststo the end wall and face plate-substantially'independent of the pivot means.

This is accomplished by providing a bracket 5 having oppositely disposed perforated l (21) walls 22and23anda bolt 24: passing through these perforations which also passes through an eye 25 formed on the end of the spring.

26 and the eye 25 of the spring is made sufficiently larger than the bolt 24 to permit the end of the spring to engage the. abutend wall element, a'diaphragm face plate ment. Fig. 9 shows a bracket having elonon the spring for the same purpose. A

similar devic'e 6 is shown for attachingthe opposite end of the'springmemberto the face plate 3. The'spring members are easily removed by simply taking out the bolts 24 at the opposite ends of the particular spring without disturbing the other spring.

The springs are made so-that it is necessary to slightly shorten their length (by de- -fiecting them) in order to install. them,

which causes the parts to be in pressure conjtact.-. This prevents rattling and noise Y which is desirable in sleeping cars an'dwhen the particular device. is-on the rear end of 7 action of the bowed spring. The 7 effective end (20) is that portio-nof the springtwherethe deflection startsrand is not bers having one of its'ends pivotally secured vlllti nt, and two bowed spring members, each" the pivoted 'c'onnections ofthe. bowed springs adjacenti'the element, toward which the 7 spring is bowed beingspaced apart there- The bracket 5 also has an abutment adjacent the element toward 'which the theflast car, or whenthe car is coupled to a car not equipped with a face plate.

I claim:

J1. In a railway car; the combination of an secured to said face plate;

In a railway car; the combination of an end wall, a diaphragm face plate, and two bowed spring members, each of said members having one of its ends pivotally se cured to said end wall and its'opposite end pivotally secured to said face plate.

t'Ina'railwa-y car; the combinationof an end wall, a diaphragm face plate, and two bowed spring members, each of saidmemto said end wall and its opposite end pivotallyseoured' to said face plate, the pivoted connections of the bowed springs to'lthe "face plate being spaced apart therefrom sufficlently to permit the bowed spring to de fleet under maximum service conditions witliout interference with the face plate.

5. In a railway car; the combination of an end wall element, a diaphragm face plate'eleof said members having one ofpits ends pivotally secured to said end'w'all, and its .opposite end p votally secured to saidface'plate,

fromsufiiciently to" permit the bowed spring to deflect under'maximum service conditions without int rference with the said element 6/ In a railway car; the combination of an spring is bowed being spaced ztparttlierefrom sufficiently to permit the bowed-spring r to deflect under maximumflservice' condi-* tions without interference with the said element.

7. In a railway car; the combination of an end wall element, a diaphragm face plate element, twobowed spring members, each of 7 said members having oneof its ends'pivotally secured to said end-wall, and its oppoi site end pivotally secured to said face plate,

the pivoted connections of the bowed springs spring is bowed being spaced apart there'- from suificlently to permit the bowed spring to deflect under maximum service conditions without interference with said element, and

a stop to restrict the lateral movement face plate.

8. In a railway cal; the combination of an end wall, a diaphragm face plate,'two resilient members, each of said members having'one of its ends pivotally secured to said end wall, and its opposite end pivotally secured to said face plate, and a stop to restrict the lateral movement of the face plate.

9. In a railway car the combination of an end wall element, a diaphragm face plate element, and two bowed spring members, each attached to both of said elements so as to foreshorten when the face plate moves out of normal position, theeffective ends of the bowed springs adjacent the element toward which the spring is bowed being spaced apart therefrom sufficiently to permit the bowed spring to deflect under maximum service conditions without interference with the said element.

10. In a railway car; the combination of an end wall, a diaphragm face plate, adevlce secured to said face plate adjacent its middle, two spaced apartbrac'kets secured to the end wall, two resilient members, each having its inner end pivotally engaging said device, and its outer end pivotally engaging said bracket, and means to secure said members to said brackets which permit-the longitudinal thrust of the member to be transmitted to the bracket. I

of the 11. In a railway car; the combination of an end wall, a diaphragm face plate, a de- VlCG'SGCllIGd to said face plate adjacent its middle, two spaced apart brackets secured to the end wall, two resilient members, each having its inner end pivotally engaging said device, and its outerend pivotally engaging said bracket, and means to secure said members to said brackets and to said device, respectively, which permit the longitudinal thrust of the member to be trans mitted to the bracket and to said device, re-

spectively. I

12. In a railway car; the combination of an end wall element, a diaphragm face plate element, a device secured to one of'said elements, two spaced apart brackets secured to the other of said elements, two resilient members, each having one of its ends pivotally engagmg said devlce, and its opposite end pivotally engaging said bracket, and means to secure said members to sald brackets and to said device, respectively,

member to be transmitted to the bracket 1 and to said device, respectively.

13. In a. railway. car; the combination of an end wall element, a diaphragm face plate element movable longitudinally, laterally or obliquely from its normal position, two spaced apart brackets secured to one of said elements, each having an abutment and 0p-, 7

positely' disposed perforated walls, a device secured to the other of-said elements having anabutment and oppositely disposed. per-f 1 forated walls, two bowedspring members,

each of said members having one of its ends engaging anabutment on a bracket and its:

oppositeend engaging the abutment on the device, and bolts 'pivotally' securing said members to the device and brackets, respectively, byv passing through the perforations and eyes formed on the ends of the'members.

14. In a railway car; the combination-of spacedv apart brackets secured to one ofsaid elements, each having an abutment and op-. positely disposed perforated walls, two

an end wall element, a 'diaphragm'face plate" element movable longitudinally, laterally'or' obliquely from its normal position, two

bowed spring members, each ofsaid members having one of its ends engaginga'n abutment on a bracket, and-its opposite end pivotally.

secured to the other element, and bolts piv-" otally securing said members to the. device by passing throughthe perforations andeyes formed on the ends ofthe members,

' 15. In anupper buffer mechanism for railway passenger. train. cars, a connectlon V between a resilient member and a partofthe car, said connection comprising a bracket having an abutmentand oppositely disposed perforated walls, a resilient member having an eye formedat one end, and a bolt passing through said perforations and said eye, the size of said eye being sufficiently larger than the size of the bolt to permit the member to engage the abutment.

16. In an upper buffer mechanism for railway passenger train cars, a connection between a 'member and a partof the ca an abutment and oppositely disposed perforated walls, a member having an eye formed at one end, and a bolt passing through said perforations and said'eyes, the sizeof said ARTHUR 1a SMALL.

said connection comprising a bracket having i V 

